ASUU Threatens Industrial Action Over FG’s Failure to Sign Agreement
- ASUU has staged a peaceful protest in Ibadan to demand that the federal government sign the agreement it willingly reached with the union
- ASUU has given the Federal Government till August 28 to avert a devastating industrial action
- The university teachers drawn from the University of Ibadan and Emmanuel Alayande University said the union has been pushed to the wall
PAY ATTENTION: AI deepfakes are becoming the new normal online. Learn how to spot them with our free fact-checking course. Join today!
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) staged a protest in Ibadan on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, to demand better welfare for its members
Protesting members of ASUU, drawn from the University of Ibadan (UI) and Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo, staged a peaceful awareness protest against the delay in signing a renegotiated agreement with the union by the Federal Government.
Source: Original
The union insists that the only setback to the looming strike in the universities across the country is the signing of the agreement on the 28th of August, 2025, when the FG team meets with the union.
Speaking at the event, the chairman of ASUU, University of Ibadan, Dr Adefemi Afolabi, was supported by his counterparts from Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Dr Michael Bamidele Ojo, who led his members to Ibadan.
The presence of the Chairman Labour Congress in Oyo State, Mr Kayode Martins, added colour to the protest.
Armed with placards bearing various inscriptions, such as "ASUU demands payments of all unpaid salaries," the ASUU members went around the campuses, sensitising the university community about the probability of an imminent industrial action if the government does not finalise the signing of agreements already reached with the union when it meets with its team on August 28, 2025.
ASUU said industrial action union's last resort
Speaking with journalists, Dr Afolabi of UI said that the federal government has pushed lecturers to the wall.
There has been inadequate progress in the negotiation between the federal government of Nigeria and the union in the past 16 years”, and this has contributed to low morale and brain drain, while the best brains have decided to stay away from the profession due to the poor remuneration and conditions of service."
Source: Original
Dr Afolabi contended that traditional leaders, religious leaders, opinion leaders, civil society organisations and parents should champion the advocacy calling on the government to sign the agreement it signed with the union.
" Nigerians – including opinion leaders, religious and traditional authorities, civil society organisations, parents of our valued students and all stakeholders to advocate for the federal to sign the re-negotiated agreement by August 28, 2025. Only through this action can the Tinubu administration prevent an impending nationwide industrial crisis across university campuses and fulfil the promises made during the election campaign.”
Varsity don faults Tinubu's approach
Supporting his opinion, the Chairman of ASUU, Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo, Dr Michael Ojo, asserted that President Bola Tinubu has introduced a delay strategy into the call to look at the welfare of university lecturers.
He said:
“ASUU therefore invites all genuine patriots to prevail on Nigeria’s governments including the university administrations to address all lingering labour issues in the Nigerian University system to avert another looming industrial crisis if the government at all levels fails to address these concerns, ASUU may be forced to take industrial action which could disrupt the academic calendar and have reaching consequences for the university community.
“ASUU wish to inform the general public that we can no longer allow the welfare of our members to be subjected to the delay tactics of this Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government. Together we can work towards a brighter future for our university and the academic community”
Lending his voice to the ASUU struggle, the NLC Chairman in Oyo State, Comrade Kayode Martins, urged President Tinubu to preserve those who lay the golden eggs, who are the lecturers in Nigerian universities by signing the agreements and commencing implementation without delay.
FG rolls out interest-free loan scheme for lecturers
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the federal government had introduced a new financial intervention for workers in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions through the launch of the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF).
The initiative is designed to provide interest-free loans that will improve the welfare, professional capacity, and overall financial stability of both academic and non-academic staff across eligible institutions.
Source: Legit.ng
Ibrahim Sofiyullaha (Editorial Assistant) Ibrahim Sofiyullaha is a graduate of First Technical University, Ibadan. He was the founder and pioneer Editor-in-Chief of a fast-rising campus journalism outfit at his university. Ibrahim is a coauthor of the book Julie, or Sylvia, written in collaboration with two prominent Western authors. He was ranked as the 9th best young writer in Africa by the International Sports Press Association. Ibrahim has contributed insightful articles for major platforms, including Sportskeeda in the UK and Motherly in the United States. Email: ibrahim.sofiyullaha@corp.legit.ng
Ridwan Kolawole (Oyo State Correspondent) Oyo state's regional correspondent Ridwan Kolawole has over a decade of journalism practice, covering politics, crimes/conflict, education, and social issues. He is a recipient of the Practical Action and UKaid travel grant for a tour of El Salvador on evidence-based crime prevention and control (2016). He is a serial winner of the Next Generation Social Science in Africa programme Fellowship of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC, New York—2019, 2020 and 2022). For passion and knowledge mobilisation, Ridwan practices journalism and teaches it at the University of Ibadan.
